My writing schedule used to be linear. I’d write one book all the way through until finished, then start on another one. That’s how it’s supposed to work, right? Except, for me, it doesn’t. I get bored. I feel like it’s taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get to the end, even when I like and am invested in the story. And all the other stories in my mind clamoring to be written get angry and demanding.
So I changed. I focused on one big project, by writing a little bit on it every day, while also looking at my other projects. And that…worked for a while. But it still felt as if I just wasn’t making the progress I wanted. When these serial stories demanded to be written, because that’s how it works in my brain– a story idea shows up and says “hey, WRITE ME NOW” and there’s no explaining to it that it needs to wait its turn– I decided to do something different. I would write a certain word count on each serial, then go back and finish all the ‘outstanding’ stories that I have before starting something else new.
So far that seems to be working. I know a lot of writers can’t work that way, and there are stories I wish I could find the time to write or that really wanted to be pushed forward, but it is what it is at the moment. I’m writing. I’m happy.
I suspect it’s because I found out I have ADHD and my brain goes where the dopamine rewards are. Now, if you’d like me to talk in more detail about being neurodivergent, I encourage you to follow my Author Yogi blog and for more spiritual/yoga philosophy take on things, Chicken Yogi (see, multi-passionate!) That’s how my writing works for me.
Why am I blogging about this? Because I suspect there may be authors out there whose brain works like that too, and it’s good to know that you’re not alone. Also I’ve been asked how I can write so many things at once. I don’t know how; it’s just how that needs to work. It gives me flexibility to move between projects, to juggle things as the brain desires. And now, I need to go write…
